I don't say it enough...

Every day, Monday - Friday, I leave the house around 6am to head off to work for the day. Most days I walk through the door about 5pm and spend the better part of the evening sharing (sometimes complaining) with my sweetheart my day's experiences. There is typically one or two nights a month that I end up at a meeting and do not make it home until after 8pm.

When I am home I'm not always there...In May I was elected as the Presdient of the Utah Parents of Blind Children. I am humbled. My sweetheart has been nothing but supportive of this opportunity. There are some nights that I may spend time on the phone talking to other parents listening, comforting and trying to help them with difficult situations they may be in with their child's education.

There has been more than one occassion this year that I have been away from home for multiple days at a time. All that he asks of me is a simple postcard from where ever it is that I am going.

You may be asking yourself, "Why is she tell us this?". I want you to know what an AMAZING husband I have. Every day I come home from work I can pretty much count on the dishes and laundry being done and the house in order. During the summer he spent each day with our four boys making sure they didn't go without. All of this without complaint.

He takes the kids to their doctor appointments and anywhere else the need to be. Each time he tells me "don't worry, I will take care of it". There are even times that he will surprise me by showing up at my office.

Did I mention how AMAZING he is!!!

I know that I don't tell him nearly enough so this is me saying it loud and clear...

KD,

I appreciate all that you do for me and our family.

Thank you for taking care of us.

Meeting you and becoming your wife is the best thing that has ever happened to me. You make me truly happy.

I love you so very much.

Am I Old?

Tonight at dinner my sweet son asked me what I did when I was a little girl because there was no TV. How old does he think I am? I am going to be 41 years old this May. Is that old?

To my dear son, yes, mom watched TV when she was a little girl.

 

 

 

Stop, Look, and Listen

It has been an unusually busy week for me this past week. Along with work I attended a two day training. This was mind numbing, information overload training. It was a GREAT training. I am exhausted both physically and emotionally. This made me think today, I need to Stop, Look and Listen for a while.

STOP - Take 5 to 10 minutes or more to just stop and do NOTHING!

LOOK - Look around me and take in everything and everyone that I am blessed with.

LISTEN - Listen to the sounds in my life. My kids (even if they are fighting), my husband who is singing along with his iPod, my friends who advise me and guide me. These sounds bring me joy!

When was the last time that you took time to Stop, Look and Listen?

It's been a while

As you can see, it has been a while since I have updated my blog. I have been busy but I wouldn't say that I have been too busy to blog. I just haven't known what to post. At least I don't think I have anything to say that is that important.

Today I thought I would just update everyone on what the family has been up to.

In March Z had birthday number 9 and B had birthday number 4. April brought birthday number 8 for KT and September was number 6 for A. Man the boys are growing up so fast.

In July KD and I went to Dallas, TX for a week to attend the National Convention for the National Federation of the Blind. This was my first convention. I loved it. I learned so much about how I can help my boys receive a better education. It was very inspiring and uplifting.

One of the best things about going to Dallas was being able to see my friend and former college roommate C. It was so fun! Thank you C for being such a great host and being willing to take KD and I around Dallas.

In August Z and KD went to Baltimore, MD for the Junior Science Academy hosted by the National Federation of the Blind. Z learned how to build a simple machine. He played beeper ball (a form of baseball for the blind). Most of all, he had fun and made new friends from different parts of the US. What a great experience for him.

KD wrote about their experience as a guest blog author on http://slateandstylish.blogspot.com/2010/09/guest-author.html.

Z and KT started school on August 1st. Z is in 4th grade and KT is in 3rd. They are both doing very well.

A and B are at the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind once again this year. The school year started with a little glitch but not as bad as last year's issues. A is mainstreamed into morning Kindergarten and then is back at USDB for the afternoon.

B is enjoying preschool again this year. He definitely keeps them busy. Almost every day his behavior in the classroom is describe as "mischievous". Not sure what we are going to do with him.

KD and I are both doing well. We are enjoying watching the boys grow. KD is determined to learn Braille this year. We are both involved quite heavily with the Utah Affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind. We are doing all that we can to support the boys.

That's about it for now. I hope to be better at updating the blog.  Until the next time...

The Privilege of Friends

I have the privilege of knowing some pretty amazing people. People who inspire me. Today I had the opportunity to sit and chat with two of those amazing people. They are both single mothers. We were talking about the every day adventures of having children. As I sat and listened to how their days usually go, I realized how blessed I am to not only have a husband who helps so much with the chores around the house and keeping the boys in line, but also how lucky we are to have been blessed with four boys. Each of these wonderful ladies have one son. It's just the two of them together before work and school and then after work and school every day.

I don't know how many times I have whinned and complained about having a messy house or having to clean up after the boys. At least my boys can entertain themselves. When you are an only child in a single parent home, who do you play with?  Mom or dad, whichever the case may be. When they told me that they keep their homes clean by staying up until after 11:00pm to "straighten up" I was humbled immediately.

Bless you my friends. You are truly amazing in my eyes. I resolve to do less complaining and more playing with my boys. I resolve to stay up a little longer to make sure my house is in order.

Thank you for teaching me.